Now
by Exl
Summary: When the group meets a prehistoric Nu who wishes to tell them a story, they end up with something completely different...
1. Default Chapter

**Now**  
_By Exile_

  


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_Disclaimer: THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER*._

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10th July 2003: A little update. I never knew 'Asraël' was the Angel of Death, so I renamed him so the name sounds a bit more 'cute'. After all it is a little fluffball of a cat. Thanks for pointing this out Ollen70. I also did some minor changes, but its nothing relevant to the story so don't bother reading it again if you've already read it before.

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**Chapter 1: Can you spell "brain"?**

**65,000,000 BC: Jungle forest**

He slowly peeked around the corner, waiting for the pack of frogs to leave. Noticing that Lucca wanted to peek also, he held up his hand to stop her.

"Shhh! If they notice us, we're done for. You know we don't have enough rations left to withstand another battle." Crono whispered to the ones behind him.  
"Crono not be wussy! We fight! You know what Ayla say! Ayla say..."  
"Shhhhh!"  


Crono put his hand over Ayla's in an attempt to silence her. She bit Crono, quite painful at that too. The victim yelled out in pain, immediately alerting the frogs. They scurried over to the bushes where Crono, Lucca and Ayla were hiding and at the first sight of them they jumped at their faces.

"Aaah! Get it off of me!" Lucca yelled, trying to scrape off the frog now attached to her face. Ayla was already punching the other amphibians into the ground, while Crono was still nursing his precious hand.

After Lucca managed to get the frog off from her face and onto the ground, she started jumping on top of it until it moved no more.

"Ahw great, now there's green frog-goop all over my boots1"

Ayla had taken care of the remaining frogs by now. "Crono see? You fight, you live!"  
Crono looked at Ayla and raised an eyebrow. "And you're sure this was necessary?" Crono said while pointing at his injured hand.  
"Ayla cannot guarantee success in every way, every time." the cavewoman stated matter-of-factly.  
"Yeah, well Ayla also needs to watch less TV."  
He turned to Lucca. "You allright?"  


Lucca was cleaning her boots in a little puddle of water.

"Yeah, I'm fine.". She looked up towards the sky. "I'd say we take a shelter here though. It's gonna be night soon."  
"You think so?" Crono wondered.  


As some sort of a reply, a bat fell out of it's hiding place in the tree they were standing under and landed in front of Crono's feet.

"I'll take that as a profound yes." Crono said, and started to pitch up his tent.

  
  


A few hours and many bruises from wrongly guided tent-sticks later, they had set camp in a small clearing in the jungle. The group was sitting around a small campfire Lucca had provided with her ever-so-handy fire magic. The night had long since set in, which made the jungle environment look pretty much impenetrable. All sitting on a big log which they had moved over to their camp spot, the scene looked quite like the ones you see in movies or cartoons. Maybe that's why it looks like that in this story too.

"So ehm..." Lucca started. "Any ghost stories, fairy tales, bedtime stories or whatever?" she asked while looking at the other two.  
"Ayla ever tell story when Ayla went hunting and Ayla came back with Big Giant Dipper?"  
"As I recall, two times at the prehistoric party you threw for us when we met, over six times when we were traveling around, and another five times at the End of Time." Lucca answered dry.  
"But you sure you not want to hear again? It good story!"  
"It was. The first time."  


Ayla continued to rack her brain for more stories, while Crono opened up a package of marshmallows from his backpack. Putting a few on a wooden stick he found, he suddenly felt something sharp poke him in his back.

"What's wrong Crono? You look surprised." Lucca asked. Crono, his eyes as wide as melons, slowly pointed to whatever was poking something in his back.

"This is a hold-up! Tee-heee..." a sluggish voice came from behind Crono.  
He reacted by dropping the stick with marshmallows and putting both his arms in the air, with his eyes still as wide.  


"Who are you?" Lucca asked to the attacker.  
"Me?"  


Crono felt the pointy object being removed. He immediately dropped his arms and turned around. Out of the dark emerged a big, blue object, with rather tiny arms and legs, completely absent of any muscles to keep the giant torso up. It was a Nu.

"I'm Creto."  
"What the..." Crono muttered. Nus were rather common in his time, but they were rare sightings in the prehistoric era.  
"What seems to be the problem?" the Nu asked.  
"You're... a Nu..." Lucca said, with as much surprise as Crono.  


Slowly, Ayla started to wake up from all the commotion. Seeing the Nu towering over Crono, her hunting instincts kicked in. She jumped up and yelled a strange war-cry.

_"Aieeeeeeeeeaaaah!"_

Ayla jumped on top of the Nu, but the blue creature was smart enough not to let her stay there for long. He quickly took a few steps backwards and knocked her against a tree. Ayla fell off, unconscious.

"Oh great, what did she do that for?" Lucca said.  
"Leave her be." the Nu said. "I overheard your request for a little story. I'm willing to tell you one, provided she stays out of this." it said while pointing at the unconscious female.  
"Why's that?"  
"She would not understand. Your intellect is far superior to hers, since you are from the future. You would not believe how lonely it is around here, with little conversation partners."  
"Uhm..." Lucca thought it over.  
"Go ahead." Crono said while he motioned to Ayla's now empty log. "Take a seat."  
"Very well then." the Nu said. It walked over to the log and sat down on it. It looked rather silly, since his feet didn't even touch the ground. "I will tell you of a little tale, not many have heard before. The origin of us, the Nus."  


Lucca's eyes widened. "Say what? But..."  
Crono shot a glare at Lucca. "Shh. Be quiet and listen. Or would you rather listen to the tale of Ayla and the Big Giant Dipper again?"  


Lucca remained silent. They both turned their eyes to the Nu, who was obviously anxious to get started. While Crono picked up his marshmallows again and held them above the fire, the Nu named Creto began.

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_* Actually, there is a disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters in this story, Squaresoft does._


	2. Nothing ordinary

**Now**  
_By Exile_

  


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_Disclaimer: THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER*._

Those not interested in the boring "Tale of the Nu" I tried to write may skip the few italic paragraphs below. It's not exactly important to the story anyway.

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**Chapter 2: Nothing ordinary**

_A long while ago, when the Earth was nothing but a frail piece of muddy rock, only animals roamed. They had been set there only to eventually protect the planet, mostly from itself._

But to achieve the goal of being able to protect the blue planet, they first had to reach the pinnacle of evolution. They had to become The Perfect Being. Of course, they did not know that by themselves.

Many millennia passed without any success. Every time a new being came into existence, another one was wiped out. Evolution had taken a wrong path, a wrong branch in the tree of life so to speak.

In order to correct this, it needed to start completely from scratch again. So it created a new being, without basing it off of another one. This being is known to most as The Human.

In it's most primitive form, it resembled nothing but a hairy mass of moving flesh. But as time would have it, the being would evolve into a more sophisticated organism. Gaining the ability of speech and interpretive thought, it soon became the only creature to be able to protect the Earth.

But the other branch of the evolution continued. For countless aeons, it grew into a more and more complex being. It still wasn't a rival of the human, but the distance was only set by small shortcomings.

Humans still didn't have everything they should have in order to be perfect, and the other evolutionary branch didn't either. But as luck would have it, they both complemented each other's shortcomings perfectly. Now all that was necessary was a merge of the two beings' most perfect abilities.

Seeing this opportunity for perfectionism, evolution stepped in once again and did the job, thus creating the perfect being known to the current universe. This being got the name of Nu, and would without any doubt eventually stray further away from the Earth to inhabit other parts of the Milky Way...

And so goes the story of the Nu.

  
  


"That's it?!" Lucca said. "That's both scientifically and morally impossible!"  
"Do you question the perfect being's knowledge?" the Nu asked, glancing at Lucca.  
"Perfect being? You've got to be joking! You weigh over two tons, are almost completely circular and have the limbs of an underdeveloped chimpanzee!" she shot back.  


The Nu jumped down from his log and walked over to Lucca.

"Pffft to you! You think you scare me with that teacup-body of yours?"  
"Easy Lucca... easy..." Crono tried.

Taking no more insults from the young woman, the Nu grabbed her by her neck and pinned her against a tree.

"Let me go you buffed up balloon! I'll turn you into ashes before you can even say..."  


The Nu tightened its grip on her neck. Lucca was having trouble breathing now. "Argh!"

Crono tried sneaking up behind the Nu. While moving towards the blue creature he picked up and unsheathed his katana, as silent as possible. While trying not to make any sound, he lifted the sword into the air, aiming for the Nu's back.

"Take that!" he shouted.  
Surprised, the Nu let go of Lucca and turned around, only to come face to face with the end of Crono's sword. It plunged into its body, without even spilling a single drop of blood.

The blue mass fell onto the ground, lifeless, with the sword still jammed into it.

Shocked at what he had done, Crono stumbled backwards and sat down on the ground, his eyes still fixated on the dead body. Lucca was still trying to catch up her breath but was equally as shocked as Crono.

After Lucca had gotten her breath back again, she crawled over to the dead body. She stood up, grabbed the sword that was stuck in the Nu by its hilt and slowly pulled it out. Crono just watched silently.

Lucca fell back onto the ground, with the sword still in her hands.  
"I... I..." she stuttered.  
"Don't worry Lucca, it's just a Nu." Crono said, still a bit dazed.  
Lucca turned her look to Crono. He had found his usual calmth again.  
"Couldn't let it kill you, so I killed it. Survival, that's all." he reassured her.  
"Yeah you're right. But I didn't have to snap at it for telling us that story, no matter how stupid it was."

They remained silent for another while, still sitting on the ground.

"Suppose we should bury him?" Lucca finally broke the awkward silence. "That's the least we can do."  
"Yeah..." was all Crono answered.

Lucca stood up and walked over to the Nu. But when she touched it, the Nu's body began to glow in a faintly yellow color... Lucca jumped back.

"What's happening?" Crono asked.  
"How should I know?"

Then the Nu's body completely dissolved, leaving only a yellow mist floating in mid-air.

Both curious and afraid, Lucca closed in on the haze. "What in the name of..."  
Crono came a little closer too. "What is it?"  
"I don't really know... but look. Look into it..."

Crono gazed into the mist, seeing the yellow subside for something of a more definite shape... Lucca's living room. Lucca's eyes went wide, but before she could say another word, the fog expanded all around the two. Unable to move because of the fog's effects, they remained motionless, only to lose consciousness and fall onto the ground.

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_* Actually, there is a disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters in this story, Squaresoft does. Those reading this part must be really bored._


	3. See it, feel it

**Now**  
_By Exile_

  


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_Disclaimer: THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER*._

I never liked the turn I gave the (really short) story here, but it's better than nothing. The storyline doesn't allow for much 'diversity' to be created, if you know what I mean.

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**Chapter 3: See it, feel it**

Crono tried to get a bearing on where he actually was, but he couldn't open his eyes.

"Lucca... are you around?"

After a few seconds, Lucca's consciousness returned also.

"What the hell is going on? I can't open my eyes!" she said.  
"Yeah me neither. What happened anyway? Were we sucked up by that yellow fog?"

Crono heard a soft ticking noise coming from somewhere.

"What's that?" Crono said.  
"What?"  
"That ticking noise..."

Crono let his hands go over the floor. It was made of solid wooden beams. While feeling what was in front of him, he tried to crawl over to the origin of the ticking noise. After hitting various hard objects head-on, he bumped into the source of the sound. Then his eyes went wide open.

"Hey! I can see again!"

Experiencing the same thing, Lucca got up and looked around. They were in Lucca's living room, as she had suspected already. Crono was standing in front of the old pendulum that went in the Ashtear family-line.

"What are we doing here? This can't be real can it?" Crono asked Lucca, hoping to get a real answer.  
"I... I really don't know..."

Crono walked past Lucca, over to the door leading outside. He closed it as quickly as he opened it.

"No way..." he muttered.  
"What?"

Crono walked over to a nearby window and motioned Lucca to join him. They looked through the glass, seeing two children playing outside, Crono and Lucca themselves.

  
  


They were much younger, around 4 or 5 years maybe. Crono was trying to climb into a tree, reaching out for his cat.

"Jump! Higher!" Lucca shouted up to the boy in the tree.

He was desperately trying to keep his balance, while clutching on to the branch holding the feline critter. After a few failed attempts at trying to get his legs onto the branch, Crono tried getting to the cat simply by holding onto the branch with his hands.

"Hurry up!" the young Lucca shouted, making Crono more nervous than he already was.

Biting his tongue, he moved further down the branch. The cat, Fraggle, just sat there, cleaning his fur. But just when Crono got close enough to grab the cat, it jumped down from the branch, landed swiftly onto the ground and ran off.

"No! Now I never get to play with Fraggle!" Lucca pouted. She kicked the tree out of anger, making the branch Crono was holding onto break off. The boy tumbled to the earth, directly aimed at Lucca who was still sulking beneath the tree.

But just when Crono was about to hit Lucca, the entire scene splattered apart into a big mess of colors. Lucca staggered back from the freakish change in scenery, Crono just stood there and stared, thinking it was all just his mind going crazy from all the jungle soup Ayla had served for them. Then the world outside the house faded away into pure blackness.

Still confused, Lucca tried to talk.  
"Was that... did that ever happen?" she asked Crono, still staring into the blackness outside.  
"Yeah... remember that time Fraggle managed to sneak out of my house and ran all across town? We had to..."

Lucca put a hand over Crono's mouth, and pointed outside, where the black void had been replaced by the same scenery they saw before, but quite a bit different...

The tree had grown quite a lot thicker and taller. At the bottom of it both Lucca and Crono sat, in a more mature form, this time around their thirties. Lucca's hair was now held together by a single ponytail, and she didn't wore any glasses anymore. Crono's radical haircut was still the same, but his face was covered with scars.

The adult versions of Crono and Lucca were looking into each other's eyes, not saying any word at all. Crono put his hands on Lucca's shoulder while still staring into Lucca's greenish eyes.

"You know," he began, "I can't take it to leave. Not because of him."  
"But..."

Crono put a finger over Lucca's mouth.

"Don't. No questions, 'cause I probably don't have any answers either."

The wind started to pick up a little, blowing through the tree and making the ever-so wailing sound.

Crono took his right hand's ring-finger, and pulled the ring attached to it off.

"Here. Take this." he said, and put the ring into Lucca's hands, then closed them. "Give it a better purpose. No matter how far away... or evil for that matter."

He then stood up and turned around.

"But don't forget, if he turns onto you like he did on those others, don't come to me for help." he said while still facing away from Lucca.

Without saying anything more, he walked off to the bridge. The scene splattered into pieces again, leaving nothing but a black void once more.

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_* Actually, there is a disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters in this story, Squaresoft does. If you feel sick after this story's sappyness, I will decline all responsibility._


	4. The Entity's plot

**Now**  
_By Exile_

  


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_Disclaimer: THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER*._

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**Chapter 4: The Entity's plot**

Crono turned his head towards Lucca, with both confusion and desperation in his eyes. Lucca didn't say anything, instead, she pinched Crono in his arm.

"Ouch! Hey! What was that for?"  
"There. Now you're awake again."  
Crono raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you get all this." he said while pointing towards the window.  
"I don't either Crono. You just have to keep your head cool like you usually do."

Crono looked to the window again. Everything was still pitch black outside.

"But what if all this will come true... I mean, that didn't look all too good..." he said, staring out into the void.  
"Maybe we are seeing this because something wants to prevent that from happening. You know, so that we can change it ourselves."

Crono pondered that for a moment. That was Lucca allright, immediately coming up with an answer that sounds next to perfect.

"Yeah... I suppose so..."

Outside, the black started to change into a new scene, this time really beyond all expectations. They both gazed out through the window again.

  
  


Three characters were standing below the tree now. The mature Lucca, Crono and... Magus.  
Magus wasn't all gloom and doom though, he didn't have his scythe with him, and he didn't wear any armor or gloves either. All that reminded you from his violent past were the scars on his body.

"You know I can just snap you like this tree... just make your choice!" Magus said to Lucca. Obviously, Lucca had to choose between the former warlock and Crono.

She tried to say something, but the anger in Magus' glooming eyes kept her from doing so.

Crono stepped forward. "You remember what I told you right? He turned on you. Like on those others."  
"Hush it you brat." Magus spat. "I never invited you here in the first place."  
"Touchy are we? I suppose you should start slicing and dicing again?"

Magus turned to Crono. "And I suppose you want to be the first one to receive that treatment?"  
"No, stop that!" Lucca intervened. "Magus, I chose you after the things that happened in Zeal Kingdom. Before that you were just the selfish moron, acting impulsive on everything that got in your way. But the fact remains that I know Crono as long as I can remember, every good and bad thing he did..."

Magus' jaw clenched from anger. "You know what's next...?" he quietly asked her. He aimed his right arm towards the tree. "_This_!" 

At the same time Magus released whatever spell he used, the scene splattered into pieces again.

  
  


Again, Crono and Lucca remained as silent as they were motionless. It took another while for them to be able to talk.

"What the hell does that Magus have to do with me?" Lucca started to rave. "I mean, what was he talking about? Zeal Kingdom? What is that, and what _is_ going to happen there?"  
"I doubt you should take all of this serious now... Just think about it.  
Magus summoned Lavos, so he will most likely go down with him, unless we loose. But the fact that we were actually there in the future means we didn't lose at all. What you just saw must have been fake..."

Lucca turned her gaze towards the floor. What could this all mean? Is all of this just playing inside the head of that Nu, Creto?  
She heard a noise coming from behind her, so she turned her head up, turned around and came face to face with the head of that same Nu...

  
  


Regaining consciousness, the first thing Crono did was rub his head. Something, or rather someone, had left a big bump there. He looked around. It was day again, and he was back at the campfire next to Ayla and Lucca, the latter one also getting her bearing.

"I can't believe it..." she said. "We're back at the campfire."

Crono looked around. His sword was still sheathed, Ayla was snoring like a rhino getting ready to eat, the fire was out and the mysterious Nu, dead or not, was nowhere in sight.

"Did any of that happen at all?" he asked. "The things we saw through that window, and that Nu knocking us unconscious in the end?"  
"Yeah... Well, at least I remember it that way." Lucca said.

The small conversation was waking up the cavewoman slumbering next to the two. She yawned, then got up.

"You two ready for brand spanking new day? 'Cause Ayla want big meal now! Ayla so hungry Ayla can eat bear alive!"  
"Errr... yeah. Sure." Lucca hesitantly said, and stood up.

While Ayla started to break down their tents (which were unused for some odd reason) Lucca whispered to Crono.

"Don't _ever_ tell what happened to _anyone_." she silently said into his ear.  
"Believe me, I won't." he whispered back.

After helping Ayla clean up the spot, they got ready to leave to hunt for Ayla's meal and for another day of searching for the illustrious Tyrano Lair.

"All follow Ayla! Ayla will make good use of available resources and create softmysticated meal for everyone! Then we all go to house of Crono for more TV!" she exclaimed happily, then darted off.

"Oh, and remind me to keep her away from anything technological, especially that TV set of yours." Lucca said, and followed after Ayla.

Crono looked around the spot one more time and then also walked off into the wilderness.

Back at the small clearing a Nu, Creto, emerged from the bushes, alive and well.

It looked up towards the sky. "I hope this is what you needed master..."

After staring a few more seconds into the blue sky, it turned around and dissapeared into the jungle.

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There. Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. All final comments about this story (how 'bout some criticism for a change? ;) ) are welcome.

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_* Actually, there is a disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters in this story, Squaresoft does. Now get back to your dayly life you silly human._


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